Police are investigating a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas early Wednesday—killing one person—as a potential terrorist act, multiple news outlets report. The unexplained incident came just hours after a truck attack in New Orleans.
The Trump Tower, located on the Las Vegas Strip, is pictured in 2009.Getty Images
Key Facts
- The fire was reported in front of the high-rise Trump International Hotel at about 8:40 a.m. local time, killing one person inside the Cybertruck and inflicting minor injuries on another seven people, according to local police and fire officials.
- Details are sparse: “Right now, we just don’t have a lot of answers,” Jeremy Schwarz, the FBI’s acting special agent-in-charge for Las Vegas, said at a press conference.
- CNN and ABC News both reported the fire is being investigated as a possible act of terrorism, citing unnamed sources—though ABC says it’s unclear whether the explosion was intentional, and police are treating it as a possible terrorist act until they learn more.
- The truck contained “fireworks-style mortars,” ABC reports, citing an unnamed official.
- President-elect Donald Trump’s son Eric, an executive vice president of the Trump Organization, confirmed on X a car caught fire in front of the Las Vegas hotel, adding, “the safety and well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority.”
- Tesla CEO Elon Musk—a Trump ally—said the company is conducting its own probe and noted, “We’ve never seen anything like this.”
Key Background
The Cybertruck caught fire less than 12 hours after a man rammed a Ford pickup truck into a crowd of people in New Orleans, killing at least 10 and injuring 35. There’s no known link between the two incidents, but Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill reportedly said the police are “well aware” of the New Orleans incident.
This story was originally published on forbes.com and all figures are in USD.
